Cranberry Dreamsicle Trifle

I love trifles and this one is better the day AFTER you make it.  Sooooo, make it a day ahead.  Serves 10-12. 

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups frozen or fresh cranberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 (16-oz.) frozen pound cake, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks
• Garnishes: fresh rosemary sprigs, white chocolate curls

Preparation

1. 1. Bring first 3 ingredients to a simmer in a saucepan, and cook, stirring occasionally, 6 minutes or until sugar dissolves and orange juice is reduced by half.
2. 2. Remove from heat, and cool 15 minutes. Cover and chill until ready to use, or refrigerate in an airtight container up to 4 days.
3. 3. Whisk together milk and next 3 ingredients in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and cook, whisking occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
4. 4. Whisk together egg yolks and next 2 ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth. Gradually whisk 1/2 cup milk mixture into egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly until smooth. Pour yolk mixture into warm milk mixture in pan, whisking until blended. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture thickens and begins to bubble.
5. 5. Transfer to a bowl, and place plastic wrap directly on mixture (to prevent film from forming). Chill 30 minutes to 3 days.
6. 6. Cut pound cake into 1-inch cubes. Layer one-third cake cubes in a 2.5-qt. trifle dish. Top with one-third each orange pastry cream, cranberry mixture, and whipped cream. Repeat layers twice. Serve immediately, or cover and chill up to 24 hours.
7. Note: We tested with Sara Lee All Butter Pound Cake.

Southern Living
DECEMBER 2013

Any-Kind-of-Fruit Galette

A simple rustic galette, its flaky crust filled with bubbling fruit, is a beautiful and versatile dessert. Follow the seasons when selecting the fruit: pit cherries in the spring; peel, core and slice apples or pears in the fall; or halve, pit, and slice peaches, nectarines, or apricots in the summer. Berries, at their best in spring and summer, should be picked over but not washed (blueberries and strawberries are exceptions).

Ingredients:

• 1 batch basic pie dough (see related recipe at left) 
• 4 cups prepared fruit (see note above) 
• About 1/2 cup sugar, depending on sweetness of fruit 
• 2 to 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour, depending on juiciness of fruit, plus more for rolling out dough
• Pinch of salt 
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into bits 
• Vanilla ice cream,  purchased, or sweetened whipped cream, for serving 

Directions:

Prepare and refrigerate the pastry dough as directed. In a bowl, toss the prepared fruit with the sugar, flour and salt. Set aside at room temperature. Position a rack in the lower third of an oven, and preheat to 425°F. Lightly butter a large rimmed baking sheet.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick, lightly dust it with flour, fold it in half, transfer it to the prepared sheet and unfold it in the middle of the sheet. Pile the fruit evenly on the round, leaving a 2-inch border uncovered. Dot the fruit with the butter. Fold the dough up and over the filling, pleating every 2 inches and leaving the center open. Carefully llift each pleat and brush with cold water to seal it. Gently press the dough against the fruit to compact it and set the pleats. Refrigerate the galette for 20 minutes before baking.

Bake the galette for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375°F and continue to bake until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender, another 50 to 60 minutes. Let the galette rest for 5 minutes on the pan on a cooling rack, then loosen the edges with a thin spatula. Let cool for at least 20 minutes.

Serve with scoops of ice cream or dollops of whipped cream. Serves 6 to 8. 

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Family Meals, by Maria Helm Sinskey (Oxmoor House, 2008).